Ornamental device



Jan. 18, 1955 N. J. sTuPr-:LL

ORNAMENTAL DEVICE Filed sept. 21, 195o V yIMI/ENTQR /Vmum JJM/WZL UnitedStates Patent C ORNAMENTAL DEVICE Norman J. Stupell, New York, N. Y.,assignor to Signa- Craft, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application September 21, 1950, Serial No. 185,943

3 Claims. (Cl. 402) The present invention relates generally toornamental devices and more particularly to ornamental nameplates andmonogram plates which may be adhered to'articles such as ladieshandbags, luggage, articles of Jewelry, automobile car doors and thelike.

The attempts which have been made to personalize articles of this kindheretofore have consisted by and large in applying metal initials to thesurfaces sought to be decorated. Sometimes metal prongs are provided onthe back of the initials; they are mounted by forcing the prongs throughthe material to be decorated and .then flattening them down to securethe initials 1n position. More often a dry cement is applied to the backof the monogram which must be softened and made adhesive by solvents.Both processes have proven slow and cumbersome; the former necessitatesthe piercing of the leather or other goods in connection with which thedecorative device is used, while the latter requires that the user keepon hand a separate solvent. ln many cases, the solvent has an adversechemical effect on the nisli of the surface to which the monogram isapplied, precluding the user from removing the initial without damage tothe article on which it was mounted.

The present invention contemplates a nameplate or monogram plate whichmay be applied to almost any kind of a flat or slightly curved surfacequickly and easily. No tools or solvents of any kind are required forthe application. The plates may be removed as readily as they areapplied; the finish of the article will not be dulled or disgured, evenafter the plates have been put on and taken olf repeatedly.

The name and monogram plates are attractive in ap pearance and tend topersonalize the various articles to which they may be adhered. They aresimple to manu' facture and are packaged in transparent envelopes whichserve both to protect and to display them.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ornamental devicewhich may be adhered to a flat or slightly curved surface by simplypressing it firmly against the surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ornamentaldevice which may be applied to an article without the use of solvents ortools of any kind and which may be removed without marring the finish ofa surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device whichserves both to ornament and to identify the article to which it isapplied.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a decorative frameto which ornamental monogram plates may be adhered.

A further object of the invention is to provide an inexpensivedecorative device which is rugged in construction and capable ofwithstanding numerous applications and removals.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and is shown in theaccompanying drawings,forming a part of the specification, wherein:

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Fig. l is a front elevational View of an ornamental device in the formof a nameplate;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the nameplate illustratingthe manner in which the protective covering may be removed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating the device adhered to a planarsurface;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational View of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a side View of the device shown in Fig. 5;

F Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of tig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention;

Fig. l0 is a front elevational view showing monogram plates mounted onthe frame shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. ll is a sectional view taken along the line 11-11 of Fig. 9; and

Fig. l2 is a front elevational View of still another embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring again to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. l and 3,there is shown a plate member 1 having an outer face 2 bearing adecorative name or design 3. Although a proper name is illustrated inthe drawings, it will be understood that any desired word or symbolcould be applied to the member l. For example, the device could beornamented with surnames, serial numbers, organization or club names, orwith merely arbitrary and fanciful designs.

The inner face of the plate member is provided with adhesive means. lnthe preferred form a fabric or strip of cloth material 4 s coated withadhesive 5 on both sides. rl`he adhesive could be applied directly tothe inner face of the plate member, however. The adhesive means ispreferably not extended to the outermost edges of the plate member; aportion 6 adjacent the edges is left uncovered. Thus, the adhesive doesnot tend to squeeze out around the sides of the plate when pressure isapplied to it during its application against a surface. ln addition, thespace thereby provided between the plate and the surface to which it isadhered facilitates prying oil the plate for removal. Any one of the socalled wet adhesives may be used, but a water insoluble rubber adhesiveis preferred. These agents retain their stickiness almost indefinitelyand do not require the application of solvents before ilse, as do thedry adhesives or cements.

ln order to protect the adhesive means and to permit convenient handlingof the device, a layer of protective material 7 is releasably bonded tothe adhesive 5. Referring to Fig. 2, the layer preferably comprises twopieces of loosely-woven gauze 3 and 9 which are stuck onto the wetadhesive; when the ornamental device is to be applied to an article, thepieces of gauze are peeled cfr" as shown, exposing the adhesive surface5.

The device may be packaged in a transparent envelope of cellophane orsimilar material. When displayed on a counter the naine or symbol on theplate will be easily visible to the customer through the envelope.

The plate member l is preferably slightly arcuate in verticalcross-sectiong its outer face is convex and its inner face concave.Because of the degree of curvature, its characteristics of adherence tocurved surfaces are very good. Because of the peculiar constructionemployed whereby adhesive means are n-ot applied to the peripheralportions of the inner face, the plate, although curved, adheres firmlyto planar surfaces as well. This is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawingsWhere a device is shown mounted on a planar surface lt); The plate maybe formed from sheet metal of substantial thickness so that it tends toretain its curvature even when pressed firmly against a plane surface. Aplate .020 inch thick has been found satisfactory. Although metal ispreferied the device may be formed from any substantially rigidmaterial.

The ornamental devices disclosed herein are particularly appropriate foruse on articles such as ladies handbags, car doors, compacts, and thelike. Very often these articles have curved faces to which a atdecorative plate would not adhere; the arcuate configuration of thepresent plate, however, enables it to form a secure face contact withthe surface to which it is applied. The ability of this ornamentaldevice to be mounted in either planar or curved surfaces is one of itsmost useful characteristics.

The device may be quickly and readily applied to an article without theuse of tools or extrinsic aids of any kind. The user merely peels offthe protective layer 7 and presses the adhesive-coated surface of theplate member firmly against the face of the article to be decorated.Pressure need not be maintained; the device will adhere instantly. If awater-insoluble adhesive is used, the device will remain bonded to thesurface regardless of the effect of heat or rain. It has proven ruggedand durable when mounted on car doors, forl example, where it isconstantly exposed to the elements.

If it is desired to remove an ornamental device of the type described,it may be pried off. Although the wet adhesive used forms a strong bondbetween the contacting surfaces, it does not permanently unite them. Asa result a surface from which a device has been removed is neithermarred, discolored nor dulled. This is particularly important when it isconsidered that heretofore decorative names and monograms have beenapplied to articles either by riveting or by the use of metal prongswhich are inserted through the material of the article or by the use ofdry cement which had to be brushed with solvent before application. Thefirst two methods require the user to put holes in the surface to bedecorated, the last requires the use of a cement and solvent which forma permanent union with the face of the article. Neither kind of devicecould be removed without disfigurement of the areas on which they hadbeen mounted.

After it has been once removed from a surface, an ornamental device ofthe type disclosed need not be discarded. It can be used again onanother article without further processing.

Fig. shows a modified form of the invention wherein the ornamentaldevice comprises a small plate member 1' of generally squareconfiguration. The outer face 2 may be decorated with a monogram 3',although a number or fanciful symbol may also appear thereon. Theprinciple of adhesion of the alternative form is substantially the sameas that already described; the inner face of the member is provided witha fabric 4 coated with adhesive 5 on both sides and a layer ofprotective material 7 is releasably secured to the adhesive.

Unlike the larger plate device shown in Fig. 1, however, plate member 1'does not have an arcuate cross section throughout its width. Referringto Figs. 6, 7 and 8, it will be seen that while the member 1 has anarcuate cross section along the lines 7--7 and 8-8 of' Fig. 5,peripheral edges 11 are not curved but are vertically extending. As aresulta concave pocket is created in the inner surface of the member.When an ornamental device of this construction is applied to a flatsurface and pressed firmly against it, a slight vacuum is created in thepocket thus formed, increasing the resistance of the device to removaltherefrom. In addition, the adhering qualities of the device whenapplied to curved surfaces are enhanced by the construction disclosedabove. The plate member 1 may also be pack* aged and sold in atransparent envelope 12.

A pleasing effect may be achieved by mounting one or more of themonogram plates 1 on a frame device of the type illustrated in Fig. 9.The frame device is adhered to a surface in the same way as the platedevices already discussed. It comprises an outer face 1l having raisedperipheral edges 13 and an inner face coated with adhesive means 5".Secured to the adhesive means is a removable protective layer 7. Theraised edges 13 provide an attractive border for the monogram andprotect the edges of the adhered monogram plates. As shown in Fig. 11,the edges 13 extend rearwardly to a position just short Vof theinnermost adhesive surface 5".

In operation the frame is adhered to the surface desired in the usualmanner and then monogram plate members are similarly adhered to theouter face 1" of the frame, as shown in Fig. 10. In this way, a set ofinitials or a series of numerals can be mounted in a single unit. It isto be understood that the frame shown in Fig. 9 is for purposes ofillustration and that it could be enlarged or diminished in size toaccommodate various numbers of monogram plates in various groupings. Amodified frame is shown in Fig. 12, wherein raised partition strips 14,formed integrally with the frame, cooperate with the frame raisedperipheral edges 13 to divide the frame into a series of individualrecesses 15 in which monograms may be mounted.

It will be seen that the above invention provides an ornamental devicewhich may be applied to` an article quickly and conveniently. It doesnot harm the surface to which it is adhered and may be removed withoutmarring the surface in any way. The device is adapted to decorate bothcurved and plane surfaces. It is impervious to the loosening effect ofwater. Further, itis of a rigid construction capable of withstandingrough usage both before and after application.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter hereinis to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A decorative device comprising an imperforate relatively rigid platearcuate in cross section, a layer of adhesive coating of the stay-wettype on the concave face of said plate, the edges of said layer beingspaced slightly inwardly from the edges of the plate whereby narrowmarginal areas of said face of the plate are left uncoated and saidlayer haing a thickness extending beyond a flat plane including theedges of said face of the plate, a layer of protective sheet materialoverlying and releasably secured to said adhesive layer whereby, onremoval of said layer of protective sheet material, said coated face ofthe plate may be adhesively secured to a fiat or curved surface with theedges of said adhesive layer engaged with said surface and the adjacentedges of the plate being disposed relatively close to said surface.

2. A decorative device asV claimed in claim 1 in which the plate issubstantially rectangular in plan and is of arcuate cross section in onedimension only.

3. A decorative device as claimed in claim 1 in which the plate issubstantially rectangular in plan and is of arcuate cross section in tworight angularly related dimensions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,210,230 Stringer Dec. 26, 1916 1,623,693 Logan Apr. 5, 1927 1,636,075Rosenberg July 19, 1927 1,770,186 Veneman July 8, 1930 1,942,240 ChernowJan. 2, 1934 2,030,135 Carpenter Feb. l1, 1936 2,093,598 Clark Sept. 21,1937 2,510,331 Crosby June 6, 1950

